Readers urged to lend a hand to less fortunate

Across the nation people could only watch as the residents of New Jersey and New York struggled in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, with some still trying to find power as the cold night air sweeps into their once-comfortable homes.

Some people in Chester County look at those who lack heat and know only too well what they are going through, as they face the same struggles as they try to make ends meet and maintain their own homes.

“Some of those affected by Sandy have been without heat for only a few weeks,” said Rob Ellis, director of the Good Neighbors nonprofit volunteer home repair organization in Kennett Square. “What if you had to live like that for the entire winter season? What if one had to choose between getting food on the table or getting oil in the furnace?”

That was the impetus behind the United Way of Chester County’s Share the Warmth program, which funds needed repairs and upgrades for low-income homeowners so they can stay warm, safe, dry and healthy. Ellis said Share the Warmth has been a “vital” resource for his organization, and has helped fill the large need for housing repairs in the county.

This year, as it has for the past 23 years, the Daily Local News is asking its readers to contribute to our annual holiday giving campaign, which begins appropriately today, Thanksgiving Day. And again this year, as we have since 2007, the newspaper will donate every dollar it receives from you, our readers and supporters, to the United Way’s Share the Warmth program.

In turn, all the money our readers send to the United Way will be turned over to the two area volunteer agencies — Good Works of Coatesville and Good Neighbors of Kennett Square — that join in the Share the Warmth program. Not one dollar is spent on anything except keeping people warm and safe.

“Each dollar that you give will make a real difference in the lives of your neighbors,” said Ellis, who has worked at Good Neighbors for the past two years. “If you are warm, wouldn’t it be nice to know that you are offering your neighbor the same luxury?”

Jim Ford, who has been the director of Good Works in Coatesville, which provides the same housing repair assistance as Good Neighbors in the north and central regions of the county, agreed.

“Share the Warmth means a great deal for many low-income homeowners in Chester County who look at a very difficult and challenging winter,” he said in a recent interview. Not only has the economic climate “pushed people into a corner from a financial perspective,” but the forecast does not bode well for those who struggle with heat in 2013.

“This is supposed to be a very cold, challenging winter,” Ford said. As December turns to January, he said “people start coming in and asking for help. We help those people as best as we can, and Share the Warmth allows us to extend our work even deeper into the community.”

Those people include folks like Rachel, a 28-year-old woman who works full-time while raising two nephews. She, like other served by Share the Warmth, had a leaky roof she could not afford to repair on her modest income. She received a new roof through Share the Warmth.

Or Kathryn, a 78-year-old county resident who cares for a man who suffers from throat cancer. Their combined income is less than $25,000 and they struggled to make ends meet. Share the Warmth provided the funds for them to fix a broken heater.

Over the years, Share the Warmth has provided the funds to replace more than 230 sets of windows, completed 59 roof repairs, installed over 40 heaters, and completed dozens of other home repairs. The United Way has donated a total of $549,000 to the agencies to help keep homeowners warm and safe.

Even though Chester County is among the wealthiest of all counties in the United States, there are those in our midst who must make hard choices during the winter months between staying warm and paying for other household expenses — even food.

The Share the Warmth program is as easy to understand as it is a blessing to county residents. Those who need help with a heating bill, a full tank of home heating oil, a patched roof, or a new furnace or heater are identified by the two agencies that deal with low-income homeowners.

Good Neighbors and Good Works submit requests for approved families to the United Way, and that agency gives grants averaging between $5,000 and $7,000 to help those homeowners stay warm.

“Good Works and Good Neighbors have been long-standing United Way of Chester County partners with the Share the Warmth project,” said Claudia Hellebush, president and chief executive officer of the United Way. “Because both organizations work with so many volunteers we know their work is accomplished in a very efficient manner making each donor’s contribution go a very long way.”

“We are very grateful to the readers of Daily Local News for their generosity,” Hellebush added. “Many of these donors have been loyal supporters of the program from the start back in 2005.

“Share the Warmth does much more than just home repair and keeping families warm and safe. It contributes to the recipients’ sel- esteem and pride and that is such a heartening side effect, she said. “ We love having the Daily Local News telling the stories of families that benefit from Share the Warmth, and we only wish the readers could see the smiles on the faces of those who are helped.”

We are asking you again to show the same generosity you have for the past years again this holiday season.

Last year, Daily Local readers contributed more than $30,000.

Donations come in various amounts and from all sorts of people. Individuals and families contribute. School classes make donations in lieu of teachers’ gifts. Businesses make offerings in the names of employees or employers. Contributions also come from Boy and Girl Scout troops, as well as anonymous donors.

Contributions to the program can be addressed to Share the Warmth, c/o Daily Local News, 250 N. Bradford Ave., West Chester, PA 19382, Attention: Andy Hachadorian, editor.